Forces Armées Royales Khmères’ (FARK)
Cambodians are not an aggressive militaristic people and their sciological and religious background was not one to foster the development of an effective modern army. Nevertheless, during the later years of colonial rule the French instilled in the people a sense of pride in tbe armed forces that carried over and in fact was stimulated in independence. French rule in the country was not harsh, and as a result of the general1y satisfactory relationship, rench influence remained a significant factor, particularly in the armed forces. After two decades of independence, the armed forces retained the atmosphere and appearance of a French colonial establishment.
The Cambodian armed forces maintained a noteworthy record of avoiding involvement in politics. They remained largely aloof from the political scene and exercised no signiftcant influence on the government. In addition, they were able to occupy much of their time in civic action programs which promoted security in remote border areas, accomplish needed public works, and contributed to bolstering the national economy.
Royal Cambodian Armed Forces was born in a French-Cambodian Convention signed on January 7, 1946, which stipulated that Cambodia shall have an armed force comprising of Cambodian soldiers only. During the period, His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk served as the supreme commander of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces. The first modern military force in the country, the Royal Cambodian Army, was organized in 1946 as part of the French colo,nial forces. All of its officers were French, but in 1949 a new accord provided for the formation of a new national army to be commanded by Cambodian officers. The national force was built up slowly over the years, and increasing numbers of Cambodian officers acquired their rank in the services.
The King emphasized the roles of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, saying that ‘we dislike wars as they have left us with sufferings for centuries: unjust and brutal treatment. We are well-prepared to fight to the finish to defend our independence and territorial integrity.’ The Kingdom of Cambodia’s independence was legally recognized in a treaty inked on November 8, 1949. From legal aspects, the country was an independent nation, but, in reality, it lacked scores of divisions, including sovereignty in justice, police and army, to attain full independence. To support his crusade for the independence, therefore, Preah Karuna Preah Bat Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk formed an armed force called “Neary Klahan”.
In every province, both Cambodian men and women voluntarily joined the Neary Klahan, and number of the military servicemen rose to four hundred thousands in August 1953. In Battambang province, a military march was held on August 28, 1953 with participation of some eighty thousand servicemen, an event astonishing the French colony. On October 17, 1953, France agreed to hand over full military sovereignty nationwide to Cambodian government. From September 2, 1953 to July 20, 1954 is the period which marks the end of French colony in former Indochina.
The Kingdom of Cambodia enjoyed its full independence on November 9, 1953, which is attributed to the movement for independence of the army and people from all strata of society and the Royal Crusade of Preah Bat Samdech Norodom Sihanouk, and it is a date of establishment of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.
When the final transfer to Cambodian command was effected in October 1953, the new accord provided that French advisers and technidans would be furnished to the new army and that French officers would be permitted to command its units as needed. These, former elements of the French Union Forces formed the basis of the subsequent establishment. Totaling some 10,000 men, they were subsequently augmented by nationalist guerrilla troops, who rallied to the king, and by irregular security forces, particularly the Provincial Guard of the Surface Defense Force. In 1954, the navy and air force were organized, and the name Royal Cambodian Army was changed to the Royal Khmer Armed Forces {Forces Armees Royales Khmeres - FARK).
The army had two primary missions: to defend the country's territorial integrity against external aggression and to assist in maintaining internal security. This entailed the traditional military responsibility of ensuring a constant state of readiness to repel any invader and to implement the government's military policies. In addition, the army was charged with developing primitive regions of the country through civic action and with directing a national sports program.
In the first few years of independence the armed forces were required to take the field against scattered dissident elements that were threatening security in outlying areas. The insurgent forces were not large, however, and they were neither well equipped nor well organized. The royal forces' operations were successful for the most part, and from the end of the 1950s to the late 1960s, there was no significant insurgency.
The Miltary Assistance Program (MAP) for Cambodia was administered by the United States Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) to Cambodia. By 1958 Cambodia had been an independent nation for less than 3 years and upon achieving its independence had no military logistical base and distribution system. MAAG/ Cambodia was established in June 1955. At that time the Cambodian forces were equipped largely from war material left in the wake of the Indochina War.
A significant percentage of this materiel was no better than battlefield salvage and was turned over with few spare parts and tools, thus imposing a logistical problem on the newly organized forces which they were ill-equipped to handle. Cambodian forces had received stockpiles of materiel from France, including both United States and French equipment, at the conclusion of the Indochina War, and a considerable amount of foreign equipment was currently in the hands of the Cambodian Army. The MAAG has estimated that, of the major materiel, including spare parts, delivered to Cambodia, more than 90 percent was believed to have been received as a result of the redistribution at the end of the Indochina War.
Under its neutral policy, Cambodia resisted alliances while receiving aid from both Communist and non-Communist sources. At the request of the Cambodian Government, a French mission trains the Cambodian Army. The MAAG is precluded from taking an active part in training. The Cambodian Government has denied an official working relationship between the MAAG and the French training mission, and the wariness of the Cambodian Government toward any indication of foreign control stood as a deterrent to an informal relationship.
The objective of the Military Assistance Program for Cambodia was to insure the internal security of the country through assistance in organizing, training, and equipping its armed forces. The cumulative dollar value of military assistance programed for Cambodia, as reported in the 1959 budget estimates, was $49.5 million through June 30, 1957.
Program requirements had been developed without valid tables of organization and equipment (TO&E) on which to base initial needs and without adequate knowledge of materiel possessed by the Cambodian Army, the Forces Armees Royale Khameres. The MAAG reported that considerable excess equipment existed in Cambodia. In the absence of a sound basis for programing, additional materiel may be delivered in excess of country requirements.
The military assistance program was being administered without long-range program planning for the continued support of the military forces now being equipped at United States expense. MAP materiel had been delivered to Cambodia in quantities which cannot be effectively utilized or properly maintained by country forces.
Significant quantities of equipment were either inoperative or otherwise not being utilized, mainly because of a shortage of trained personnel and an inadequate supply distribution system. For example, out of 1,682 trucks supplied under MAP, by 1958 only 627 were in serviceable condition. Of the balance, 597 required field maintenance and the remainder were in need of more extensive repairs at maintenance depots.
MAAG officials stated that the Cambodian Army could maintain internal security, assuming that insurgent forces are not supported from outside Cambodia, but that the army probably can only harass, to a limited degree, a well-trained invasion force. In addition to the units which are supported under the military assistance program, Cambodia has about 12,000 paramilitary forces, including a provincial guard numbering 9,200 and municipal police and national police which are assigned an internal security mission under the direction of the Minister of National Security. In the event of a national emergency, it was planned to incorporate the provincial guard into the Cambodian Army.
The army gained a limited background of combat experience, but it was experience based on restricted, irregular operations, usually confined to small unit tactics in engagements using smail arms exciuslveIy. The armed forces have actually been more concerned with civic action than with military pursuits. Since 1967, however, with the outbreak of insurgency in Battambang Province and other areas, the armed forces became involved on several occasions in multi-battalion operations.
During the period 1963 to 1969, a period that had been described as the ‘time of the great economic leap’ in Cambodia, the armed forces participated in the building of the economic livelihood of the nation. The majority of the armed forces’ activities, and much of the equipment of the FARK, was devoted to supporting projects in the economic sector including construction of roads, dykes, dams etc. Military personnel also participated in administrative and territorial organizations throughout the country.
The Minister of National Defense was responsible for the administrative and support services of the armed forces. These services comprised a variety of support activities. which included quartermaster, ordnance, engineer, signal, military justice and medical services. The Minister also had under his jurisdiction the Director of Personnel, the Director of Research and the Office of Civic Affairs. The Minister, however, had no operational function and exercised no direct control over the military services.
Operational control of the military forces extended directly from the supreme commander to the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. The Commander in Chief was, in effect, the country's senior military officer, and he directed military operations subject to the policies of the Chief of State. He had as his principal subordinate the Chief of the General Staff.
The army was the basic element of the armed forces and effectively overshadowed the other services. Despite a trend toward increased autonomy for the navy and air force, they continued to be under army direction, and their commanders subordinate to the Chief of the General Staff, who was an army officer.
The country was divided into five geographic regions which divided the area into roughly equal segments. Where they coincided, regional boundaries generally followed those of the political provinces, but each military region encompassed several provinces. Regional commanders were directly responsible to the Chief of the General Staff and exercised command over all units stationed in their areas with the exception of military training schools and General Reserve units. The General Reserve was a strategic military reserve in existence rather than an inactive force to be called to duty in case of need. It was centered in the general area of Phnom Penh, had units dispersed in numerous military regions and constltuted a sizable composite force, comprising infantry, paratroop and armored units.
Cambodia had one of the smallest national military force among the countries in Southeast Asia. In late 1967 total military strength, amounted to over 35,000 men, some 32,000 of whom were in the ground forces. In 1967 the Army's strength of over 30,000 men was organized into between 30 and 40 standard infantry battalions. In addition, there were two parachute battalions and two Royal Guard Battalions. The army framework also included one known armored reconnaissance regiment and an antiaircraft artillery brigade.
By 1970 the Cambodian Army (FARK) had a troop strength of 50,000 men including 10,000 reservists who were recalled to active duty at the time of the March 1970 coup. The Army was organized into 55 infantry and commando battalions with the average strength of 380 men in each battalion. The Army had in addition nine one-half brigades (Demi-Brigade) of various sizes. This regular Army was supplemented by an estimated 50,000 militia which included 30,000 home guards, 15,000 provincial guards, 6,000 police and 5,000 members of the National Youth Movement. This militia was under the command control of the Cambodian Army.
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